Description

Critical Essay 2 (With Research)

You will submit a college-level paper of 4-5 full pages (in addition to the Works Cited page), choosing

one of the topic options listed below. If you need some assistance in brainstorming your topic, I am

willing to help you.

 Your paper should put forth an original thesis of your own and should be primarily concerned with an

interpretation of a primary text or texts along the lines of the suggested topics below.

All papers will be submitted electronically and through turnitin.com.

 Any late paper will be penalized a letter grade/day late.

 The paper will be evaluated according to the English Department’s rubric and instructions are given in class.

 You must use at least one primary source and three scholarly sources (a minimum of four sources total)

other than plot summaries, abstracts, and other sorts of general reviews as found on the web.

Dictionaries, encyclopedias, Wikipedia, Spark Notes, and similar sources, while helpful in

beginning research, do not constitute a required source.

 All documentation must conform to MLA guidelines.

 (The online librarians stand ready to help you find solid sources if you need them. )

Topics:

1. The topic you used for Essay 1 may be enlarged upon, physical Struggles especially in light of added research that you will

do. Yes, you can revise it, add to it, and make it better IF the outcome is a stellar paper. Simply fixing

grammatical/mechanical errors will not ensure that you make even the same grade as before.

2. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions is considered an early reflection of Romanticism Discuss how this

work reflects the Romantic characteristic of wanting radical change.

3. How do specific physical struggles in Douglass’s Narrative affect spiritual struggles?

4. Examine the evidence that suggests that Madame Lubov Ranevskaya never intends to save the estate

and, in fact, gets exactly what she wants at the end.

5. Contrast Trofimov and Lopakhin in their ability to change the world.

6. There are several romantic (or potentially romantic) relationships in The Cherry Orchard. Why does

each fail?

7. Discuss the theme of escape and/or freedom in The Cherry Orchard.

8. This play often alludes to time and the passage of time. What does the emphasis mean?

9. Discuss irony in this play, especially what you consider to be the chief irony.

10. Discuss the impact of the setting(s) and cultural differences in Daisy Miller.

11. Compare and contrast Daisy Miller and Winterbourne, deciding which one is truly the protagonist of this

work.